2013 NFL Week 9 - Colts vs. Texans Betting Odds Preview

The last time we saw the Colts they had just finished handing the Denver Broncos their first loss of the season in Peyton Manning’s return to Indianapolis. While much of the focus from this game beforehand was all about Manning and afterwards the majority of the focus was on the upset that the Colts had just pulled off. However somewhat lost in the shuffle was the loss of wide receiver Reggie Wayne for the season with an ACL tear. The statistics show that over the course of his career he has played over 90% of the offensive snaps for the Colts and the offense has always been productive. During the small percentage of snaps that he is not on the field for The Colts have been horrific on offense. The bye week came at a good time for a team that will clearly need to make several adjustments in order to replace the Future Hall of Famer. The Texans have not have any of their stars injured for the season like Wayne, however they have been filled with nagging injuries to Arian Foster and Ben Tate that has slowed their running game. They have also gotten awful play at quarterback from starter Matt Schaub and backup T.J Yates which is largely responsible for the teams 2-5 start. Much like The Colts likely used their bye week to get their replacements for Wayne lined up; the Texans likely used their bye week in an effort to figure out a way to get their struggling team going.

In an effort to replace Wayne, the Colts have one logical candidate already on the roster with previous experience as a number 1 receiver in Darius Hayward-Bey. As a former top draft pick of the Raiders, he has struggled to live up to expectations in his career. He was productive last season with the Raiders and showed enough to earn a free agent deal with the Colts. He has struggled as the 3rd wide receiver so far this year; perhaps a move to the Number 1 spot with Andrew Luck at quarterback can get him going. Second year man T.YT Hilton will be asked to shoulder more of the load in the passing game and mid season acquisition Trent Richardson will be asked to take more responsibility in the ground game and prove he was worth the first round pick that it cost t o get him.

The Texans had several chances to win their game 2 weeks ago vs. the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs. They had first and Goal in the 4th quarter with a chance to take a lead and failed to come away with any points. Instead neither team scored at all in the 4th quarter of the teams 17-16 loss. The team was supposed to be a contender this season and they have been anything but. Poor play on offense from anyone not named Andre Johnson and a defense that has been strong, however far from dominant, especially in third down scenarios.